imperialism

American  

[im-peer-ee-uh-liz-uhm] / ɪmˈpɪər i əˌlɪz əm /

noun

1. the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.

2. advocacy of imperial or sovereign interests over the interests of the dependent states.

3. imperial government; rule by an emperor or empress.

4. an imperial system of government.

5. British. the policy of so uniting the separate parts of an empire with separate governments as to secure for certain purposes a single state.

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imperialism British  

/ ɪmˈpɪərɪəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. the policy or practice of extending a state's rule over other territories

2. an instance or policy of aggressive behaviour by one state against another

3. the extension or attempted extension of authority, influence, power, etc, by any person, country, institution, etc

   cultural imperialism

4. a system of imperial government or rule by an emperor

5. the spirit, character, authority, etc, of an empire

6. advocacy of or support for any form of imperialism

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imperialism Cultural  

1. Acquisition by a government of other governments or territories, or of economic or cultural power over other nations or territories, often by force. Colonialism is a form of imperialism.

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Other Word Forms

• imperialist noun
• imperialistic adjective
• imperialistically adverb
• nonimperialistic adjective
• nonimperialistically adverb
• unimperialistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of imperialism

First recorded in 1855–60; imperial ¹ + -ism

Example Sentences

“Cortez the Killer” shimmers into existence, and a listener might contemplate that while it’s another one of Young’s monumental mid-’70s mythic journeys, it’s also essentially a story about imperialism.

From Salon

"I was not a supporter of British imperialism, in fact I detested it," Yavar tells me.

From BBC

A master of plotting and characterization, French uses the tropes of the detective novel to explore greater themes of class and cultural imperialism.

From Los Angeles Times

He's talking about really old-fashioned, 19th century imperialism — wars of aggression and swallowing up smaller countries or less powerful countries.

From Salon

But Cobden supported free trade as one plank of a larger liberal platform that included staunch opposition to imperialism.

From Salon